Panchang guide / Months
Hindu calendar months: Chaitra to Phalguna
The Hindu calendar is lunisolar: its months follow the Moon, but the year is kept in step with the Sun. Its twelve months run from Chaitra in spring to Phalguna at the end of winter.
The twelve months and their names
Each month is named after the nakshatra near which the Moon is full in that month. Kartika’s full moon falls near Krittika, Chaitra’s near Chitra, and so on.
| # | Month | Full moon near | Roughly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chaitra | Chitra | Mar–Apr |
| 2 | Vaishakha | Vishakha | Apr–May |
| 3 | Jyeshtha | Jyeshtha | May–Jun |
| 4 | Ashadha | Purva/Uttara Ashadha | Jun–Jul |
| 5 | Shravana | Shravana | Jul–Aug |
| 6 | Bhadrapada | Purva/Uttara Bhadrapada | Aug–Sep |
| 7 | Ashvin | Ashwini | Sep–Oct |
| 8 | Kartika | Krittika | Oct–Nov |
| 9 | Margashirsha | Mrigashira | Nov–Dec |
| 10 | Pausha | Pushya | Dec–Jan |
| 11 | Magha | Magha | Jan–Feb |
| 12 | Phalguna | Purva/Uttara Phalguni | Feb–Mar |
Amanta and purnimanta: two ways to end a month
India uses two conventions, and they explain most of the confusion about month names:
- Amanta (“ending at new moon”): a month runs from new moon to new moon. Used mainly in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Purnimanta (“ending at full moon”): a month runs from full moon to full moon. Used mainly in North India.
The bright half (Shukla paksha) has the same month name in both systems. The dark half (Krishna paksha) does not: what is Krishna paksha of Shravana in the North is Krishna paksha of Ashadha in the amanta calendar. The festival falls on the same day; only the month’s name differs. Janmashtami, for example, is Krishna Ashtami of Bhadrapada in North India and of Shravana in amanta calendars.
Adhik maas: the extra month
Twelve lunar months are about 354 days, eleven days short of the solar year. To keep festivals in their seasons, an extra month is added about every 32½ months. The rule ties the Moon to the Sun: a lunar month in which the Sun does not enter a new sign (no sankranti) becomes adhik maas, the extra month, and takes the name of the month that follows it. Rarely, a month with two sankrantis becomes kshaya maas, a lost month.
Solar calendars
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Punjab use solar months that begin when the Sun enters a new sidereal sign. That is why Tamil New Year (Puthandu), Vishu, Pana Sankranti and Pohela Boishakh fall in mid-April, when the Sun enters sidereal Aries.
Eras: Vikram and Shaka
- Vikram Samvat is 57 years ahead of the common era for most of the year: the year that began in spring 2026 is Vikram Samvat 2083. In Gujarat the Vikram year begins after Diwali instead.
- Shaka Samvat is 78 years behind the common era. The Indian national calendar, adopted in 1957, uses Shaka years with fixed solar months; its year begins on 22 March (21 March in leap years).
This month: Today’s panchang shows the current tithi and paksha; the festival calendar lists the festivals of each month.